Short Stories

Vincent Burke III is a cultural anthropologist and fiction writer who specializes in queer storytelling. His degree in Cultural Anthropology comes from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he began writing short horror fiction in 2016. Soon after having published his first story, The Remains of Adrian Hewitt, Vincent began formulating a plan for Flesh and Bone, a sprawling series that would encompass his studies, his love of reading, and his own tumultuous past. Growing up in a divided house, Vincent's experiences with abuse and survival ultimately led him into the United States Army where he started developing an understanding of his own queerness and spirituality. After briefly serving as a combat engineer, Vincent moved back to Colorado where he began pursuing his degree in Anthropology at UCCS. Now living safely and comfortably with his boyfriend, best friend, and their cat, Orpheus, he spends the day reading, writing, playing lacrosse and thinking of the next best American novel.

Bowen Gillings is an award-winning author writing to bring fun back to fiction. He has been featured in anthologies, periodicals, and podcasts. Bowen is a member of Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and The League of Utah Writers. He's a former actor, financial advisor, personal trainer, defense contractor, and Army officer. He's been hiding among us for over a decade disguised as a park interpreter at Garden of the Gods Park. Bowen holds five martial arts black belts and hikes whenever he can. He loves travel, cooking, and a fine adult beverage. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and daughter.

I was employed for twenty-five years doing research and evaluation with the New Jersey Department of Human Services and another seven years with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, NJ. I also taught Sociology as an adjunct instructor at several NJ and NY colleges. Currently retired, I write short stories and book reviews. I live in Colorado Springs with my wife Kate.

Taylor Stanecek has spent most of his life in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He's currently a commercial property manager with a drive to write in his spare time. His passion for writing sparked in grade school with the help of a motivational teacher and has pushed him to continue to strive for creativity through short stories and poetry over the years, finally moving into fictional novels. Identifying as gay, Taylor has focused his first coming of age trilogy on LGBT culture.

Davyne spent her life traveling the world and has lived in Germany, Bolivia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and the United States. She came to Colorado in 1993 and now writes from a cozy spot nestled at the base of the Pikes Peak in beautiful Colorado Springs. One of the settings in her book, Phantom Rising, is loosely based on Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs.

William Edwin Baxter was born on October 11, 1954 in Fullerton, California. He was born with developmental disabilities, but has strive not to let his disabilities defeat him in life, but to go above and beyond them by accomplishing great things and inspiring others to do the same. This became his legacy. He lived most of his life in Orange County, California; but currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On July 9, 2016, William suffered a massive pulmonary embolism which almost ended his life, but he survived. Had he died in the E.R. at Memorial Hospital, his legacy would have died with him. Realizing this, he began to write his first book, entitled W.E.B. Tales (W.E.B. is his initial name for William Edwin Baxter). The book was published as an e-book in May 2018, and as a paperback in July 2018. Other books have been published since W.E.B. Tales which can be found on my author page on amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/William-Edwin-Baxter/e/B07GC44FVR

Brook Bhagat is the author of Only Flying, a Pushcart-nominated collection of surreal poetry and flash fiction on paradox, rebellion, transformation, and enlightenment from Unsolicited Press. Her work has won contests at Loud Coffee Press and A Story in 100 Words, and her poem, “The Homes of Birds,” first published in the anthology, A Walk with Nature, was a first-round winner in the 2022 Colorado Hearts and Minds Poetry Contest.

Brook’s poetry, prose, humor, and creative nonfiction have been published in Monkeybicycle, Empty Mirror, Soundings East, The Alien Buddha Goes Pop, Anthem: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, and other journals and anthologies. She and her husband Gaurav created Blue Planet Journal, which she edits and writes for. She holds an MFA from Lindenwood University and is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Pikes Peak State College. Read her work and learn more about Only Flying here, check out the Nearby Universe here, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @BrookBhagat.

Liz has followed her heart through a wide variety of careers, including farming with a team of draft horses and working as a field paramedic, Outward Bound instructor, athletic trainer, and roller-skating waitress, among other curious choices. She also knows more about concrete than you might suspect. Her novels written under the name L. D. Colter explore contemporary and dark fantasy, and ones written as L. Deni Colter venture into epic fantasy realms. Following a long interlude in Southern and Northern California, she returned some years ago to her home state of Colorado, where she spends her time with her husband, dogs, horses, and writing (according to her husband, not always in that order of priority).

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR D. L. ORTON lives in the Rocky Mountains where she and her husband are raising three boys, a golden retriever, two Siberian cats, and an extremely long-lived Triops. In her spare time, she's building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.

Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Weird Dream Society, Hath No Fury, and the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V, VI, and VIII. She has also written stories set in shared worlds for RPGs at Green Ronin Publishing and Onyx Path Publishing. In addition to writing, she has edited several projects; the most recent is in the role as co-editor for Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas.

As an educator, Carina has taught at Pikes Peak Community College, Glendale Community College, and Arizona State University. She also participated in the Colorado Writing Project and works with educators to develop writing instruction in college and secondary school classrooms. She currently offers workshops focused on story generation at The Storied Imaginarium. Her fiction has been nominated for the Sundress Publications Best of the Net Award and was a finalist for the Ron L. Hubbard Writers of the Future Awards. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Sundress Publications Best of the Net Award. In her editorial capacity, she’s received recognition as the Winner at the Colorado Book Awards 2022 (Anthology) and as a Finalist in the Fiction: Anthologies category of the 2022 International Book Award.